Mangaluru : The online trading platform in APMCs will prove beneficial in getting suitable and fair prices for farmers, said Mangaluru APMC President Ekkaru Monappa Shetty.

He flagged off a jatha organised to create awareness among farmers on online trading of farm produce and registration of farmers, organised by the Department of Information and Public Relations and Karnataka State Agricultural Marketing Board at APMC Yard at Baikampady on Monday.

He said that the online trading system is transparent. The new system will help check exploitation of farmers from the hands of middlemen. It also allows them to decide whether to sell their produce now or wait for a better price, he added.

APMC Secretary Ramachandra Reddy said that online trading will ensure that farmers are not cheated. “Agriculture produce are classified on the basis of quality. The success of this new online marketing system in a few APMCs in Karnataka has made other States in the country follow the model. Under the new system, farmers are even recompensed online within 24 hours of selling their produce in APMC yards,” he explained.

“The farmers should register their names and also furnish their mobile phone numbers and bank account details along with IFSC code to receive online payment. The farmers receive confirmation of the transaction through SMSes. Out of 35,000 farmers in Mangaluru, 3,600 farmers have already been registered,” he said.

“Under this new initiative, traders are allowed to participate in auctioning at all APMCs in the State with a single licence. The other benefits which are reaped through this unique initiative are real time monitoring of prices across the State, transparency in transaction such as weighing, pricing and quality maintenance of the produce. Farmers can also track the market price of a commodity in other districts,” he added.

The jatha will visit villages across Dakshina Kannada for the next 10 days to create awareness among the farmers on the online trading system. Handbills on the system will be distributed and screen documentary on the online trading system will be shown at the selected locations. Corporator Purushotham Chitrapura and Information Officer B A Khader Shah were present.